In the long history of the Detroit Red Wings organization, many notable names have come through and worn the winged wheel. But who has been the best to don the Red Wings jersey based on their nationality?
*The countries mentioned have had five or more players spend time with the Red Wings organization*
Canada
In consideration: Alex Delvecchio, Gordie Howe, Terry Sawchuk, Steve Yzerman
The selection: Gordie Howe
In the organization’s history, almost 800 players have hailed from Canada (789). The name that resonates the most with fans across the hockey world is the man known as “Mr. Hockey,” Gordie Howe. While Yzerman’s career accolades are nothing to sneeze at, Howe was a notch above the rest. The Saskatchewan native was the best of his time, and several records stood for years. He held the record for most games played (1,767, including his time in the WHA and then the Hartford Whalers), eventually broken by Patrick Marleau in 2021. He also held the goal record (801) until “The Great One” Wayne Gretzky surpassed him in 1994 and has since seen Alex Ovechkin pass him.
Related: ‘Mr. Hockey’ Gordie Howe
The all-time statistics are the headliners, obviously, for Howe, but he also won the Art Ross (most points in the regular season) and Hart Trophies (league’s most valuable player) six times each in his career. In his time in a winged wheel jersey, he also hoisted the Stanley Cup four times and was a fan favorite long after his playing days ended, both in Detroit and across the hockey world.
Czechia
In consideration: Dominik Hasek, Jiri Hudler, Petr Klima, Václav Nedomanský
The selection: Dominik Hasek
While he only played four seasons with the Red Wings in two stints, Dominik Hasek made a strong impact in his time in Detroit both in the regular season and postseason. After being acquired from the Buffalo Sabres in July 2001, he helped lead the Red Wings to the Stanley Cup and was a driving force for the organization. The “Dominator” let his outside-the-box style of goaltending excite Red Wings fans over the four seasons he was with the team and helped lead them to the 2008 Stanley Cup as well as winning the William Jennings Trophy (fewest goals allowed) alongside Chris Osgood.
Overall, he ranks in the top five in both goals-against average (GAA) and shutouts in Red Wings playoff history and was one of the more exciting goaltenders to watch as a member of the team.
Finland
In consideration: Valterri Filppula, Olli Määttä
The selection: Valterri Filppula
The Red Wings have only had six players from Finland suit up for them, so this one seemed easy to pick. Between the mid-2000s and the early 2010s, Valtteri Filppula was a name that Wings fans got accustomed to hearing and getting to know quite a bit. While he may not have lit the scoresheet on fire consistently, he was relied upon as an energizer type of player who could also be called upon to win faceoffs when need be (he won 50% of his faceoffs with the Red Wings). Between his two stints with the Red Wings (2005-2013, 2019-2021), he tallied 287 regular season points, was also a strong contributor in the playoffs with 57 points, and won the 2008 Stanley Cup.
Russia
In consideration: Pavel Datsyuk, Sergei Fedorov, Igor Larionov
The selection: Sergei Fedorov
It was a hard choice between Pavel Datsyuk and Sergei Fedorov, and it may get flack from some, as both players were magicians on the ice and left a lasting impact on the Red Wings organization. However, going with Fedorov comes down to his extra playoff success compared to Datsyuk in his career. Not only did Fedorov win one more Stanley Cup than Datsyuk, but he also recorded 50 more points in only five more playoff games.
Fedorov was among the most exciting players to watch during his time with the team. His mix of silky smooth skating, puck handling, and two-way game earned the respect and praise of his peers in the league, leading to him winning the Hart, Selke (best defensive forward), and Ted Lindsay (most outstanding player chosen by the Player’s Association) Awards for the 1993-94 season. He also added another Selke Trophy in the 1995-96 season. He was one of the most prominent players during his 13 seasons in Detroit and is the last Red Wing to win the Hart Trophy as of 2023-24. While his exit from Detroit was a tough pill to swallow and left many with a bad taste in their mouth, the 2015 Hockey Hall of Fame inductee sits at the top of the list of Russian-born players to suit up for the Red Wings.
Slovakia
In consideration: Marian Hossa, Tomas Tatar
The selection: Tomas Tatar
Although Marian Hossa was a big reason that the Red Wings were in a position to win back-to-back Stanley Cups in the 2008-09 season, longevity is the reason that Tomas Tatar earned the title of “Best Slovak-born Red Wing.” Tatar, much like Filppula, did not light the world on fire with his stats but was still a key part of the organization in the parts of seven seasons he spent in Detroit. He was not the biggest guy on the ice, but as a Wing showed no hesitance to get involved in the game whatsoever. Being a constant presence in the lineup with a bit of an underrated shot, he tallied around 0.54 points per game in the regular season for the Red Wings.
Sweden
In consideration: Tomas Holmstrom, Nick Lidstrom, Henrik Zetterberg
The selection: Nick Lidstrom
The man known as “The Perfect Human,” Nick Lidstrom, was pretty much just that on the ice for the Red Wings for 20 seasons. It seemed like he was never out of position against whoever was coming down the ice against him and was seemingly one step ahead of his opponents. Fundamentally, Lidstrom was as sound as a defenseman could get. What stands out the biggest when it comes to his overall defensive game is his career plus/minus in the regular season, sitting at a plus-450, tagged along with an astonishing seven Norris Trophies for the league’s best defenseman (second behind Bobby Orr’s eight).
He was a bit underrated regarding his shot from the point, but he still finds himself in the top 10 all-time among defensemen in career goals. The 11-time All-Star was as clutch and impactful in the playoffs as he was in the regular season and has, to date, some of the bigger moments in the recent playoff memory for Red Wing fans. Lidstrom took his rightful place in the Hall of Fame with fellow teammates Chris Chelios and Fedorov in the 2015 class and, like many of the names listed above, is still a massive fan favorite.
United States
In consideration: Jimmy Howard, Dylan Larkin, Reed Larson
The selection: Dylan Larkin
While there have been a handful of American-born players who have had Hall of Fame careers (Chris Chelios, Mike Modano) who suited up for the Red Wings, none of them put up the type of numbers and longevity that Dylan Larkin has had with the team. The Michigan-born 2014 first-round pick came into the organization with high hopes of becoming a player who could be built around, and he has proven to be just that. While the team has not been able to find any success getting to the playoffs outside of his rookie season (2015-16), he has shown to be the type of player who can bring a mix of offense, energy, and a bit of grit to his game that has helped seemingly rejuvenate the organization and for awhile was one of the few bright spots the team had going for them.
So far, in the nine seasons he has played in the NHL, Larkin has been just under a 0.80 point-per-game player with 506 points in 652 games. He has filled the captaincy role well since earning it in January 2021. Out of the players drafted in the 2014 class, he finds himself sixth among all players in points and continues to get better as time has gone on. Time will only tell how much of a lasting impact he will leave on the Red Wings organization.
Plenty of Greatness Over the Years
As an Original Six team, there will be quite a few names that always resonate with hockey fans of all ages. The Red Wings have seen plenty of players have immense success in a winged wheel jersey over the years (four in this article are Hall of Famers and members of the Top-100 All-Time list from 2017). The hope is that the new generation of players (Moritz Seider, Lucas Raymond, etc.) build off the rich history of the organization and can leave their mark as well.
